home decor and garden are very famous in the world

I just barely got around to showing my post-Christmas buffet, but now it’s been changed up for Valentine’s Day!
The jumping-off point for me was when I found an out-of-date globe at the thrift store. I painted it with chalkboard spray paint, and wrote “Love makes the world go round” on it. I wish I was one of those people who had beautiful handwriting (especially on a chalkboard)—but alas, it is not one of my gifts!
I covered five balls with strips of maps cut out of an old atlas I found at a garage sale. They make interesting little globes, as long as you don’t expect them to be geographically accurate!

Using my Silhouette, I cut out a bunch of hearts from the same old atlas, and sewed them together to make a banner.


Other map hearts were sewn together in pairs, then folded to make a 3D “ornament” for my twigs leftover from the funky twiggy garland I made for Christmas.

My other globe got to join the display, with a few more map spheres.

I tried to go along with the ‘theme” by writing, “The best place to be is wherever YOU are” for my family. Quite frankly, I don’t think they ‘got’ it!

Coastal Charm’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesday	It’s So Very Cheri
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
Hookin’ Up with House of Hepworths	{Primp}
Elizabeth & Co.	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday	Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	DIY Show Off
Primitive & Proper	A Simply Klassic Home
Beyond the Picket Fence’s Under $100 Party

I was smitten when Miss Mustard Seed posted this picture with her new pennant banner from Lisa Leonard designs.


Isn't it gorgeous? I love old metal and old wood. Unfortunately, the price for a "dream" banner is over $50, and thus out of my price range!


She handcrafts the most amazing knobs, pulls, tags, and more out of clay! I wondered...could she make a pennant banner like the one I loved out of clay?





I am delighted with how it turned out. Each little 3" pennant has a lovely script imprint over the whole surface, and then the stamped letter is color in black. I love the texture each piece has.

Here it is on my chalkboard. Maybe it was just a little dream...but I was the dreamer!



I also got a few other treasures. I have four of these darling bird tags. One has a home on an old bottle on my buffet.


I also received four drawers knobs. They're waiting for just the right piece of furniture!

As I have mentioned before, I participated in my first ever "public showing" of my handiwork yesterday: the "Scraps of Simplicity Spring Market."

I was a real newbie at this whole boutique thing! I like to attend them, but I've never tried to sell at them! Thanks to wonderful, generous, unselfish friends, I was able to pull it off. Here are some pictures of my booth!

This little toy box was a favorite of mine. It was blue when I bought it, and I tried painting it red, but that wasn't "it." In the middle of the night (seriously!), I suddenly knew it was meant to be yellow and say "You are my sunshine." I love that it turned out like the picture in my head!

My husband just came upstairs and asked me if I was done with my "subtle craftiness" for the evening...I said yes, but of course I still had to blog about it!

I really threw him for a loop yesterday when I admitted a willingness--after almost 16 years--to do a little Halloween-type decorating! I have been so impressed by what I've seen around the Internet on my favorite blogs, of decorating that was classy rather than cutesy, and understated rather than in-your-FACE!!

He was so excited--there was nothing to do but go shopping!

So what does a woman do, who is trying to decorate in an understated, yet

classy manner? Why, break out the GLITTER, of course!!

I got this idea from someone else's blog--but for the life of me, I have no idea where I saw it. (If you know, leave a comment so I can give appropriate credit!)

I started with chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby.

Next came a little silver spray paint (you'll have to trust me; they're really silver).

Next came ModPodge and lots of glitter...


Finally, some hot glue and black ribbon, and voila!!

It really does look better in person :-) Glitter doesn't seem to translate well to photographs!

My chalkboard got a little makeover as well:

I found a little anonymous poem to write on it:

I didn't have any black cats, but a raven made its appearance on the upper corner:


My pretty little cloche (that first appeared here) got a pumpkin tower and a glittery black spider (these have made an appearance all over my house with help from my junior decorators).

Oh, and the little black raven has two buddies that are perched elsewhere. They were about $2.50/each at TaiPan.

Then I finally had to give Wordle a try. It was so fun! I printed out my creation on some pretty linen cardstock and added it to a frame I had on hand. I already have one made up with just "Autumn"-type words when Halloween is over. One little hint if you decide to create you own Wordle masterpiece...if you can make a bigger word by entering it in multiple times.


So...Halloween decorating. It didn't turn out to be so painful after all! And my children and my husband are delighted!